after that, speaker john boehner and nancy pelosi on the so- called fiscal cliff negotiations. >> why the institute? >> it is very important within the culture. we are a culture of words, voices. words are key to our imagination, our capacity to envision. we ourselves are not completely tied to print on the page of writing. i think that there is no other art form that is so readily accessible. it is something in literature that just captures the human spirit. >> this weekend, join "book tv" as we look behind the scenes at the history and literary life of new york's capital city, albany. saturday on c-span 2. and on "american history" on c- span 3. >> not the economic impact on the u.s. economy and american competitiveness and the proposal to allow more skilled workers to remain in the u.s. the conversation includes senator mark warner. this event is being hosted by the university of virginia oc miller center -- virginia's miller's center. [applause] >> thank you, distinguished guests. welcome to the national press club. it is our fifth annual meeting of the conference on the world eco